Tech IPOs: They're back! — Why are champagne corks popping again in Silicon Valley? Tech startups are coming back to Wall Street - and Business 2.0 Magazine identifies six that are likely to cash in. — (Business 2.0 Magazine) — For the first six years of the century …

Google patches serious desktop flaw — Security firm says the now-fixed vulnerability illustrates the danger of integrating Web apps with the desktop — Security researchers have discovered a serious flaw in Google's desktop software that could be used to wreak havoc on a victim's computer.

Cisco buys XML startup Reactivity — It has been a few years since Cisco Systems (CSCO) outlined a vision for what the San Jose based company calls Applications-Oriented Networking or AON. Think of it as Cisco-twist on Services Oriented Architecture! Like optical, high performance routing …

A new copyright battlefield: Veoh Networks — news analysis One of the last places you might expect to find copyright violations is on a Web site backed by Time Warner and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. — Nonetheless, Veoh Networks CEO Dmitry Shapiro acknowledges that only a week …

Satellite Synergy — In all the very fine stories about the proposed XM-Sirius merger, there was one glaring omission. — The reason these two companies have 13 million subscribers willing to cough up $12.95 a month for something we all grew up thinking should be free is that commercial radio has self-destructed.

Microsoft makes first Supreme Court appearance — [Update, 11:30 a.m. Monday: See coverage of the arguments by the Associated Press. You can read the official transcript here: PDF, 65 pages. Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said in a follow-up interview that the session left the company encouraged about its prospects.

AP: Recording industry targets colleges — WASHINGTON - Cracking down on college students, the music industry is sending thousands more complaints to top universities this school year than it did last year as it targets music illegally downloaded over campus computer networks.

ESR gives up on Fedora — The following letter was received from ESR, who has sent it to a number of Linux-related publications and mailing lists. It is presented verbatim, except for the addition of HTML code. — After thirteen years as a loyal Red Hat and Fedora user, I reached my limit today …

Netvibes Promises Cross-Platform Widget Compatibility — The fragmentation of widget platforms presents a problem for developers, who need to develop and then maintain different versions of widgets for the various desktop widget platforms (Vista, Mac, Google, Yahoo) as well as online platforms …

Japan's Hottest Cell Phone Straps — In Japan, dressing up a cell phone is almost as important as having one. The cell-phone strap is an indispensable accessory that lets a person express individuality without flaunting it, and often tells a little story about Japanese culture and history.

Mac users 'still lax on security' — Apple Mac users are still too lax when it comes to security matters, an independent researcher has said. — Kevin Finisterre caused ripples in the Mac community when he started a website in January revealing a different bug in Apple systems each day of the month.

iTunes clues rock classical music world — Classical music fans and techie musicians were agog this week over revelations of a possible fraud that was uncovered using iTunes and a musical database. — Before pianist Joyce Hatto died in 2006, she and her husband released a series of major recordings of a wide range of composers.

Cerf: Internet is a reflection of society — Google Internet evangelist says the problems of fraud and other online crimes are more social than technical — The Internet is a mirror of the population that uses it, said Google's vice president and chief Internet evangelist Vinton Cerf …

1-on-1 with Jason: $10K — Asked whether his new venture will take on Blogads.com, Jason Calacanis responded, "That's like Michael Jordan going after a 12-year old in a game of 1-on-1." — I laughed when I first read that. Typical Jason. — But, having thought about it, I think there's an interesting game to be played.